Carl Bass
| Carl Bass | |
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| File:Carl Bass Autodesk.jpg
Autodesk CEO Carl Bass
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| Born | May 18, 1957 New York, New York |
| Residence | Berkeley, Calif. |
| Occupation | CEO and President of Autodesk |
| Height | 6'4" (193 cm) |
| Spouse(s) | Daryl Austern |
Carl Bass is president and chief executive officer of Autodesk, Inc.,[1] a maker of professional 3D design software and consumer applications, and was a co-founder of Ithaca Software,[2] which commercialized HOOPS, a 3D graphics system. Bass has been credited with expanding Autodesk beyond its core AutoCAD software through acquisitions and new product developments[3] and transitioning from 2D to 3D model-based design.[2]
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Early life and education
Bass was born in New York, New York to a chemist father and school teacher mother.[4] After starting at Cornell University, Bass took a break to build boats, furniture and sculpture in Seattle and Maine for five years. He returned to Cornell and graduated with Bachelor of Arts in mathematics in 1983.[4]
Career
In 1981, Bass co-founded a computer graphics company called Flying Moose Systems and Graphics Ltd., which became Ithaca Software in 1986.[4] The company commercialized HOOPS, a 3D graphics system originally developed at Cornell University in the mid 1980s. Bass served as Ithaca Software’s chief technology officer and CEO.[4] He joined Autodesk when the company acquired Ithaca Software in 1993, serving as the chief architect for AutoCAD.[2] In 1995, Bass was forced out by Autodesk’s then president and CEO Carol Bartz, only to be rehired five months later, after top Autodesk engineers said they needed Bass’s software development skills.[5]
Bass left Autodesk in 1999 to launch Buzzsaw,[6] an online service for management of construction projects, where he served as president and CEO.[2] Bass returned to Autodesk when it acquired the company in 2001.[6] Since then, Bass has held a number of high-level positions at Autodesk, including executive vice president and chief strategy officer (2001 to 2002); senior executive vice president of the Design Solutions Group (2002 to 2004); chief operating officer (2004 to 2006); and interim chief financial officer (2008 to 2009).[7]
CEO of Autodesk
In 2006, Carol Bartz stepped down as Autodesk’s president and CEO, naming Bass as her replacement.[8]
During his tenure as CEO, Bass has focused on expanding the company beyond its core AutoCAD software through acquisitions and new product development[3] and transitioning from 2D to 3D design.[2] He has emphasized vertical markets focusing on model-based design, simulation and lifecycle management.[2] Under his direction, Autodesk has introduced consumer-oriented products such as SketchBook, a mobile painting and drawing app with over seven million users as of Nov. 2011.[9] In March 2008, Autodesk was ranked number 25 on Fast Company's list of "The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies."[10]
Bass serves on the Board of Directors of Autodesk and e2Open.[1] He also serves on the Board of Trustees at the Art Center College of Design.[1] He previously served on the board of McAfee and iRise.[4] Bass is a member of the Executive Advisory Boards of Cornell Computing and Information Science and U.C. Berkeley School of Information and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology).[4]
Personal life
Bass owns a workshop near his home in Berkeley, Calif.,[5] where he designs and fabricates objects made from wood, metal and stone. Bass’ projects have included furniture, sculpture and a walk-in wooden rocket ship he built for his children,[11] which is on permanent display at Chabot Science Center.[4]
He is married to Daryl Austern, and they have two children.
References
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